Fullboy - Vietnam - Saigon - Banh Xeo and Beat Boxin!

We arrived in Saigon, jumped in a taxi and found the lovely Miss Loi’s guesthouse hidden down a quiet alley away from the noise of the main roads. The room had much needed aircon and we were treated to a fresh baguette with cheese and a banana every morning for breakfast in the spotlessly clean reception area. We only had to step out of the door into the pleasant, shady alley and we were greeted by small food stalls cooking up steaming bowls of wonton soup and fruit juice vendors selling refreshing tropical iced drinks. The roads around the district came alive from 5pm onwards when scores of motorcyclists would drive up to the many vendors and pick up their freshly cooked food to take home without even getting off their bikes. On one such evening, we were feeling very tired after a night out partying with a Vietnam veteran music band so I joined the hordes of people picking up their dinner and took home some delicious chicken liver rice and BBQ skewered pork to eat in our room. With takeaway service this good on your doorstep, and so cheap, it would be tempting to do it every night!

































The next evening, we took a short walk down our alley and sampled a local seafood restaurant called Nhat Phuong. There were a dozen or so fish tanks at the front of the restaurant where you could just point to what you wanted. We had scallops, mussels, clams, a variety of vegetables and some wonderful lime, chilli, salt and pepper dipping sauce, all washed down with some ice cold Saigon beer. The pick of the selection were the scallops dressed with peanuts and spring onions, delicious!





















































Before even setting foot in Saigon, I’d read of the Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese savoury pancake stuffed with pork, shrimp and beansprouts. I’d also read of a legendary establishment to try the delicacy, aptly named Banh Xeo 46A. We set off determined to find the place and, after taking several wrong turnings and walking round in a few circles, we finally found it tucked down an alley off another alley. We sat down outside and ordered a Banh Xeo each. After a short wait the pancakes arrived and were huge yet airy and light. The filling of raw beansprouts, juicy prawns and crispy pork was wonderfully fresh and the pancake tasted delicious with or without the great selection of dipping sauces provided. There were salad leaves you could wrap the pancake in but I preferred to just eat it as it was. The hunt for great food is always worth it!!









































We ended Saigon as we began it, with lots of eating, drinking and fun. We were lucky enough to be around when Kila Kela, a UK beatbox artist was performing at a small club and we had a great night that lasted well into the early hours. The roads were quiet when we left the club and we decided to say ‘yes’ to two motorcyclists who offered to give us a lift back to our guesthouse. We whizzed through the deserted streets , security guards asleep at their stations and the dawn light peeking through the darkness. We'll miss Saigon.